New Saudi environment fund to promote biodiversity, wildlife | Omar El-Huni

New Saudi environment fund to promote biodiversity, wildlife | Omar El-Huni

LONDON — Saudi Environment Minister Abdulrahman al-Fadley has launched a new environment fund and various environment-focused centres to help the kingdom ensure the continued protection and sustainability of its environment and natural ecosystems.

The opening ceremony for the new institutions was held December 3 in the presence Brigadier General Saher bin Muhammed Al-Harbi, who leads the kingdom's Special Forces for Environment Security, and high-level figures from the environment ministry.  

 Five national centres to support the kindom's environment goals were announced at the event — the National Center for Environmental Compliance, the National Center for Meteorology, the National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification, the National Center for Waste Management and the National Center for Wildlife Development.

The National Center for Environmental Compliance focuses on environmental impact studies, installation inspections and issuing environmental licenses for development projects. It also supervises programmes for monitoring environmental pollution sources and monitoring environmental impact establishments to ensure compliance with environmental standards.

The National Center for Meteorology monitors climate and weather conditions and provides airports, ports and other transport sectors with data and forecasts prepared via the kingdom's weather monitoring stations.

The National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification is tasked with combating desertification, development and rehabilitating forest vegetation cover, local endangered plant species protection